The U.S. House of Representatives: The People's House
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How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?
435. This number is fixed by law.
How is the number of representatives from each state determined?
It is based on the state's population, which is determined by the U.S. Census conducted every 10 years.
How long is the term of office for a member of the House of Representatives?
Two years. The entire House is up for re-election every two years.
What are the three constitutional qualifications to be a U.S. Representative?
Must be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, and a resident of the state they represent.
Who is the presiding officer and most powerful leader in the House of Representatives?
The Speaker of the House.
The House of Representatives has the sole power to initiate what type of bills?
All revenue bills, which are bills that deal with raising money through taxes.
What is the House's sole power in the impeachment process?
The power of impeachment, which is the ability to formally accuse a federal official of wrongdoing and bring charges against them.
What is reapportionment?
The process of re-distributing the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among the states following each decennial census.
What is redistricting?
The process of redrawing the boundaries of congressional districts within a state after reapportionment.
What is gerrymandering?
The practice of drawing congressional district boundaries in a way that gives an unfair political advantage to one party or group. Common methods include 'packing' (concentrating the opposing party's voters in one district) and 'cracking' (spreading them thinly across multiple districts).
Besides voting members, who else serves in the House?
There are also six non-voting members: a delegate from the District of Columbia, a resident commissioner from Puerto Rico, and four delegates from other U.S. territories.
What happens if a House seat becomes vacant in the middle of a term?
The state's governor is required to call a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.
Every state is guaranteed at least how many representatives in the House?
At least one representative, regardless of population size.
